Like the beautiful cover, THE MILL ON MAGNOLIA LANE by Tilly Tennant filled me with warmth from the beginning and left me cosy and comforted by the end.

​Lizzie is lost without her beloved Dad but when she buys the old dilapidated mill that her father always dreamed of owning, she feels like it was fate and that he would be proud of her for taking it on. And a huge task it is as the mill barely has walls let alone windows or anything else that makes it habitable. But it is a new start which is exactly what Lizzie needs. What she didn't expect were her handsome next door neighbour and his amazing little brother, and suddenly Lizzie finds herself in a new relationship. But life is rarely simple and as Lizzie tries to juggle this herculean renovation alongside her family squabbling, is she really ready for love with someone who has a very close relationship with his ex?

Charming, funny, and very realistic, THE MILL ON MAGNOLIA LANE by Tilly Tennant may just put you off doing some home renovations but it will make you smile and fall in love with this wonderful group of quirky characters who are all dealing with their own stuff, and trying to be happy. The setting is perfect and I really hope this won't be the last we hear from this spirited community, but it is the emotional parts of this story which shone for me. The topics of grief, sibling rivalry, step-parenting, co-parenting and more are all deftly entwined amongst new romance, friendship, self-belief, and love, and I read this book in one night as I simply could not put it down.

THE MILL ON MAGNOLIA LANE by Tilly Tennant was everything I had hoped it would be and then some, and I highly recommend it to fiction fans everywhere!

Tilly Tennant's books are my go to books when I want to be sure to have a book that I will enjoy and that's why I picked "The Mill on Magnolia Lane" when I went on vacation and took the plane. And I am happy to have picked this book to go on vacation with because once again I really enjoyed Tilly Tennant's writing. I don't know how Tilly is doing it, but every single of her stories are all so different. She has a great imagination! and I really love this about her books! Even though I enjoyed a lot "THe Mill on Magnolia Lane" , I have to be honest, this book was one of my least favorite of Tilly Tennant's books. It wasn't as fun as I am used to with Tilly's books. Not sure why I felt this way. Maybe because in this book a lot of dramatic and sad events are happening. Maybe because a bit too much dramatic events are happening in this book and at the end you want to say "too much is too much, it's not credible anymore" but other than that, I really liked the characters, their interactions, the settings and the romance. I am giving this book a 4 stars out of 5! Very lovely book!

What a warm and wonderful story where I was welcomed in instantly and made to feel right at home with the characters. But I have to admit that Charlie was indeed a knock out character....his joy and enthusiasm for life stole each and every scene he set foot in.

The story line flowed in many directions with several narrative threads weaving amongst each other at once. For me, this brought the story to life with many exciting moments waiting at the turn of the page.

Magnolia Lane and the main town of Piriwick play host to numerous colourful characters who bounced off the pages bringing laughter and love to this story. There was definitely plenty of new faces to get to know but I do feel that these characters still have plenty left to say so I would like to see a sequel to this book in order to explore the narrative threads that have been successfully set up in this gorgeous story.

The Mill on Magnolia Lane is a perfect pocket of escapism that will guarantee to make you smile. I loved my time in Piriwick with Lizzie and the gang and I have my fingers firmly crossed for that sequel.....hint hint!

Oh Charlie, you legend!!! What a fun loving, well thought out character he is! I found his excitement about everything and anything, totally infectious. Yes, it was pretty evident that he had autism or similar, which I found completely insightful and thought it was brilliant that I was able to learn a little bit more about such a misunderstood condition.

I am very, very torn with my thoughts on ‘The Mill on Magnolia Lane’ because whilst there were parts of the storyline I was able to lose myself in, I found a lot of it to be a little bit mismatched. The main focus in the story is Lizzie’s mill, but there is also a lot of things going on elsewhere involving her family, relationship, and the death of her father. I wish that the book delved into the life of Lizzie’s brother, James, because his name kept getting mentioned due to his, what I assume, rocky mental health and, when a devastating event occurs involving him, it seemed to come out of nowhere without too much of a deal.

I enjoyed the theme on family ties and how the author highlighted just how complex those relationships can be, both with biological family members, and extended. I will say that Gracie’s selfishness frayed my nerves at times, and I was disappointed to see that the topic of being a single parent was shown in a negative light as though it is a bad thing to happen to someone.

Florentia was a breath of fresh air and I loved the energy she brought to the storyline. Her outlook on life is one to be admired, and I would go as far to say that everyone needs a friend like her, she is fab!!!

Overall, as you tell I am on the fence. ‘The Mill on Magnolia Lane’ wasn’t my most favourite book that this author has written because of the incomplete, mismatch of situations, however, I adore Tilly Tennant’s books and the way she puts difficult situations in the spotlight, allowing readers to understand them in their own way.

Lizzie buys the old mill that her late father always talked about owning.

She is determined to do this on her own, but soon meets new neighbour Jude, and his younger brother. Things are complicated and she isn't sure he is over his ex, who features in his life far too much for Lizzie's liking. As she needs to help her family out more, will Lizzie be able to take a chance on Jude?

I received this book in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.

Do you have a special memory with your dad? Were you able to make a dream come true? How much fun would it be to actually do that? How much fun would it be to live in a windmill? What about relationships? These ladies have certainly not had an easy time with those. How many can relate to how hard it is to trust again after being treated like they were? I’m sure the number is high. But there are so many good things in this story and decisions being made that shows that they are not only survivors, but that they can flourish. I love the characters and felt the heartache and the joys right along with them. I think you will enjoy getting to know them too. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.

I know there will be a lot of people out there who, like me, are huge fans of Tilly Tennant and who will be waiting eagerly for his latest book and I can confirm that I don’t think they will be disappointed by her latest offering.

This book joins Lizzie at a very sad time in her life when she has just lost her dad and she is feeling a little adrift. She decides to buy the derelict old mill on Magnolia Lane that her father always longed to own and decides to renovate it in his honour, and so her adventure starts. Living in a cramped caravan onsite, trying to deal with all the issues that inevitably come with restoring a crumbling, old building and dealing with her dishy neighbour and her fractured family in to the bargain was never going to be plain sailing.

Having built by own house from scratch (not literally, of course, I had builders!), I could relate to Lizzie’s dilemmas in the book and thought Tilly captured the problems with taking on a huge building project very well and it was a great driver for the book. The parts describing the renovation of the mill were some of my favourites in the book and anyone who enjoys these kind of stories about the renovation of old buildings, breathing new life into the and, thus, bringing to life the hopes and dreams for the future of the owners (because that is what building or renovating a house is, trying to bring to life your dream home) will love this book.

Although this is a romance, it is actually a book more about family relationships and how turbulent they can be and how we need to work at them sometimes, but that it can be worth it. Lizzie has a very troubled family. Divorce has led to conflict between her mother and siblings and her stepmother, to whom Lizzie alone is friendly and this causes friction. Lizzie’s stepmother was actually one of my favourite characters in the book and I loved the scenes she was in. Lizzie’s sister is high maintenance, and comes into the book with a lot of issues which she then burdens her sister with. All of this rang very true to life and brought a really interesting thread of questions and plot and tension to the book. It felt like a realistic portrayal of family to me. I thought the issues regarding Lizzie’s brother were rather glossed over or rushed and could have been developed more fully if they were to be included but I loved the rest of it.

For me, surprisingly, the romantic part of the book was the least compelling on this occasion. Part of the problem was that it just developed too quickly. I mean, unrealistically quickly. You really need to suspend your disbelief to buy in to this one, or maybe I am just old and jaded, who knows. Given her past history, I wasn’t quite buying it, particularly given the peculiar situation with Jude and his ex, Harriet. I didn’t blame Lizzie for her misgivings over that, although I did think that exploring this kind of situation was an interesting and relevant idea, as this is so common these days and something I have experienced myself but the portrayal didn’t quite ring true. Part of the problem was that Jude wasn’t quite doing it for me in his obliviousness. I did absolutely love Charlie as a character though, I could have read about him all day long. However, we all know that what we find compelling about men in books is very subjective (am I the only one who didn’t fall for Mr Rochester?), just as it is in real life. If we all liked the same, we’d be fighting over a very small pool of eligible men!

This is a really charming, summer read with a lot of strong points and an interesting premise that I know fans of Tilly will enjoy. Her appealing, breezy writing style is present and as strong as always and it is an easy and fun read. Just maybe one beat from perfect for me, but only for very personal reasons. You must read it and judge for yourself.

I have always enjoyed Tilly Tennant’s writing but this book just didn’t engage me as much as some of the others. I found the opening chapter very maudlin (as one would expect when the main character’s father has just died) but it took me quite some time before I settled into the book.

I had to suspend reality when she crammed 3 people into a small caravan (running water etc?) with none of the practicalities that would make it tricky after just a few days.

I adored Charlie, the next door neighbour with his wide eyed curiosity and sense of joy as well as the stepmother Fiorentina. Other than that, the characters didn’t really jump off the page for me.

3.5* A nice read about restoring windmills (and yourself), but didn’t whisk me away and envelop me in a giant hug like many of Tilly Tennant’s previous books.

First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book.

I have not ever read a book by Tilly Tennant. I really enjoyed this story. Lizzie has lived with her mother ever since she and Evan split up. The story starts with the funeral of Lizzie's father. Lizzie and her mother are riding in a car behind Lizzie's step-mother, Lizzie's siblings are in another car.

Fast forward a bit (the timing isn't clear), but Lizzie has bought a Mill that she and her father had always driven past and talked about. Life is short, so Lizzie decided to buy the ramshackle building, and try to restore it.

What I liked most about this story, was the relationship between mother and daughter, her step-mother, her neighbors (2 brothers) as well as glimpses of relationship with her siblings. I enjoyed this story because of Tilly's ability to make me feel familial emotions.

I recommend this book so much!
#NetGalley #TheMillonMagnoliaLane

This was ok, a fairly light read. Where I liked the relationship between Lizzie, her mum and stepmum, I really struggled to find anything likeable about Jude who seemed rather immature at times.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the arc and giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

I love Tilly’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint.

Lizzie’s life is thrown out of kilter when her beloved father dies so, having also recently split up with her boyfriend, she decides to live for the moment and buy a dilapidated mill that her father always had his eye on.

She soon meets Jude and they get on famously, but he has a past. There’s his ex, Harriet, with whom he has a toddler, Artie, and he also looks after his brother, Charlie, following the deaths of their parents. Jude and Harriet seem to be a bit too friendly for Lizzie’s liking so that causes some unrest. Then there are other significant characters; Lizzie’s new-dumped and newly-pregnant sister, Gracie, and her very nice stepmother, Florentina.

Lizzie tries to juggle the mill renovations, her mum, her sister, her stepmother (who loses everything in a fire), and Jude, so there are lots of twists and turns but a happy ending.

A warm, funny, and romantic read, ideal for the summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a light the romance was cute and the other familial relationships the book featured were very well done and I liked that it allowed development in that area too. Characters were likeable and the story felt realistic. Overall a light easy read.

When you loose one of your parents, it feels like the world has stopped turning. Especially if you have a very deep connection with that parent. I know what it's like.

The thing you want to do most is keep something alive you both felt strong about to keep the memory alive.

A family bond is strong even if you do not see or hear each other every day and even if you do not always see eye to eye. In times of need you can count on each other and when things go wrong you can grow closer than you thought possible.

This story is packed to the rafters with emotions. It's about relationships ending and new ones starting, about sisters narrowing their distance, about people accepting each other, about lives ending and new ones beginning. There is room for laughter and sadness, love and friendship and making decisions.

I enjoyed reading Lizzie's story. Although it was rather sad sometimes, there was a lovely happy ending. I felt there might be some room for a sequel? I hope I am right because I would like to know more about what will happen next. It seemed like it was only the beginning.  4 stars.

Thank you, Tilly Tennant, Bookouture and Netgalley.

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

We meet Lizzie after her father dies. Things are not easy, but she wants to continue his dream and starts restoring the old windmill on Magnolia Lane.

She then meets Jude and the two of them hit it off immediately. Jude didn’t have an easy life. After both his parents died, he had to take care of his brother Charlie and then there are also his ex Harriet and his son. Harriet still spends a lot of time with Jude and Lizzie doesn’t like that. She is very suspicious and can’t fully trust him.

On top of that, there is her family, who are trying to give their opinion on Jude as well and they have their own problems to deal with too.

I have always liked Tilly Tennant’s writing style, it’s fresh, cute, gripping and young. Unfortunately, something was missing in this book, I didn’t get 100% into it. The storyline was missing some details and I also found it hard to relate to the characters.

The setting of this book is wonderful and the author captured it beautifully. I really enjoyed diving into this story, it’s a great summery read.

I really hope this is the start of a new series, as by the end of this book, I just didn't want it to end. I loved the Mill and its rennovation work, and the way that Lizzie develops over the book is great.

This is a story that takes place over at least a year if not longer, the exact time frames were hard to judge, as you'd start a new chapter and suddenly there was a fast forward of time - you never felt you missed anything but I just lost track when in the year we even were.

Over the course of the book, we get to meet all the Lovell family, who all think Lizzie is mad to gamble on buying a disused mill, and try to get it up and running again. To say there was some venting about builders would be an understatement. I'm so glad I wasn't living in Lizzie's caravan while they tried to make the building habitable.

There is great character development all around, and I loved seeing how Lizzie, Gracie, Florentina and Gwendolyn all adapted to new circumstances each time something happens. And let me just say there are a lot of eventful happenings in this story. It really does keep you on your toes.

But its also a comforting sort of a book, its a very pleasant to read story, that filled me with warmth, and definitely had Tilly Tennant's trademark writing style and feel to it. It's a very good book, and I'm hoping this isn't the last we have seen of Magnolia Lane and the Lovells.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I have read the author before and enjoyed her books. This one I enjoyed also but it wasn’t my favourite of her books.

The storyline was a good one, young woman buys and renovates an old mill in memory of her father. The parts of the story dealing with the mill itself are fascinating and it had me picturing the scenes in my head. For me, however, the other parts of the story just didn’t hold my attention quite so much and I found myself skimming a lot.

This would be an ideal summer read for those looking to escape for a while into someone else’s life. Please note this review is based on my personal feelings and plenty of others will, I’m sure, love the story.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

I am a huge fan of Tilly and I have to say this book did not disappoint! I found myself wanting to move and find the nearest mill for me to buy. I have several readers in that visit my store that look forward to Tilly's new books. Cant' wait for them to read this one.

A lovely feel-good story.
After losing her Dad, Lizzie has a mad moment and buys the dilapidated windmill her Dad had always admired.
She ups sticks and lives in a caravan on-site while the renovations are being done. She is single and works from home so it’s ideal for her. Her family think she is bonkers though.
We get to meet her family, Mum, sister and brother. And her lovely stepmum. There are many ups and downs between them all. Many touching and emotional scenes which the author writes so beautifully.
There is instant attraction with Jude, her nearest neighbour. Things move quickly but it isn’t plain sailing as his ex always seems to pester him at a crucial moment!
I loved the renovation of the windmill. I could visualise it so well that I wanted to help with the decoration and finishing touches.
The surrounding countryside made me want to live there, the village life seemed perfect.
The characters were really likeable (well, mostly!) and all had good depth. It made me interested in their lives and what was going on.
An easy and enjoyable read, I’d recommend it.

Having read a lot of Tilly's books previously and loved them all, I was very much looking forward to reading this one, The Mill on Magnolia Lane, her latest venture into escapism. So with that said, I did have very high hopes for this one, but the honest truth is that I have mixed emotions about it and really didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I just don’t think it has that same spark as all her other books that I’ve read of hers.

I found it to be a very good story which was well written, but at the same time, I felt as if some of the story plots were rushed or not given enough attention. It would have been beneficial if some of the storylines could have been better developed and more time spent with them. Like the character of James for example, there was hardly any mention or involvement of him through the story but then something completely unexpected happens to him at the end, which kind of came out of nowhere and doesn’t really have enough relevance to the story, just felt a bit random.

Having read other reader's reviews of this book, I am glad to see that there are a few readers that did indeed enjoy this book, which to me, means it is true what they say, certain books just aren't for everyone.

Some good points about this book though, I really liked the character of Charlie, he was well developed and came out with the funniest of things at times, it was hard not to like him. I liked the setting of the story, being the renovating of the old mill and the obstacles that Lizzie had to keep overcoming with respect to that. It felt real, in that these things never go to plan. I really liked that this story wasn’t just focused purely on romance, it dealt with ongoing relationships between family members and external family members such as the step mother, and so was interesting to see how certain situations arose and how they were dealt with throughout the story.

Despite me not having enjoyed Tilly’s latest book l like I hoped I would, it hasn’t put me off from reading her books in the future, I’ve actually got a couple of her books still waiting to be read on my kindle and I’m still looking forward to reading them in the very near future.

In the style of Jenny Colgan, this is the story of Lizzie taking on a mill remodeling project after the death of her dad and finding love in the process. Her and her dad always dreamed of remodeling the mill together, so leaps in and takes on this project to honor her dad. The Mill on Magnolia was a cute story. Perfect for a spring evening with a cup of tea.